It’s a symbol of peace, goodwill, and hope...now the Peace Light is making its way back to Kansas City this holiday season. The flame of the Peace Light burns 365 days a year in the holy city of Bethlehem. Thanks to our council's Religious Relationships Committee, the Peace Light will be available to share at the Heart of America Council Service Center (10210 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO) on Friday, December 16.
Peace Light Dates/Hours:
- Friday, December 16 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Any individual, family, place of worship, Scouting unit is welcome to visit and take the flame with them. Scouts/individuals can then take the light to places like houses of worship, hospitals, senior centers, or to anyone who appreciates the significance of the "gift of peace." All faiths are encouraged to enjoy the celebration and embrace this symbol of world peace together.
How it Works:
- Bring a liquid fuel lantern or lamp
- Place it in a 5 gallon bucket to protect it from the wind
- Pour a ring of sand around the base of the lantern to stabilize it and provide bottom weight
- Use appropriate unscented fuel and extreme caution with the flame
The Story of the Peace Light:
Each year, a child from Upper Austria fetches the light from the perpetual flame in the grotto in Bethlehem. The light is carried in two blast-proof miners lamps on an Austrian Airlines jet from Tel Aviv Israel to Vienna Austria where it is distributed to delegations from across Europe who take it back, with a message of peace, to their own countries. Austrian Airlines then flies the miners' lamps containing the Peace Light from Bethlehem to New York City. Volunteers, mainly Scouts, transport the light across the US so that everyone possible is able to share the light.